Tag Archives: prefab homes costa rica

For those of you wanting to build a small size vacation home, small apartments or cottages and bungalows, there’s some innovative ideas that I have applied to some projects, with great results and I’d like to share.

Let’s take the typical ‘beach or mountain cottage’ as an example. This would be a smaller detached home with approximately 1000 living sq ft ( 120 sm/ 1291 sft, 2 to 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 1 or 2 levels) on a budget of 60k to 70k (good quality construction) in a beach or mountain
setting..
When creating your dream ‘cottage’, one can accomplish staying within budget, aesthetics, and functionality by using new life style concepts, new materials and new thinking overall. If you take ‘change’ as part of life and can deal with a few, you’ll be good to go. My philosophy is that ‘the river is not the same river, it changes with every second that passes by’, and I like to apply that to my designs. I have accomplished the ‘tropical living’ in many designs and have stayed within budget by incorporating some, or all, of these ideas and construction materials in the tropics:

1. Roof as envelope.
In Costa Rica, due to it’s geographical location, a home’s roof is in charge of reflecting the sunlight back to the atmosphere, protecting the interior from rain and providing insulation. So here’s an idea: use the ‘envelope roof design’, which looks like an open envelope with the living space inside. Here are some examples of houses built like that in Europe, Brazil and one of my designs in Costa Rica.

I am working on this tropical modern project, and the owner and I would like to hear about your opinion on colors. Which one you like the best? White metal facade? Silver metal facade? or slate gray facade? Please fill the form below.

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My clients’s opinion…

"Gloriana is the architect of my small house project and from the very beginning she captured the original idea on how I wanted my house to be designed.
She has successfully integrated concepts such as management of space, lighting and natural ventilation, bio climatic elements, use of alternative building materials to get a perfect blend of contemporary architectural tendencies with some traditional Costa rican architecture.
This has been one of the highest point of her work. The result has been a balance between beauty and budget.
Her responsible and proactive attitude has facilitated the creative process and progress of this project, according to a previous program.
She also helped me in interior design subjects and thanks to Gloriana, I'm sure my house will have a feminine elegant and warm atmosphere.
Her professional services and personal conditions are the best."
Cristian Villalobos, Costa Rica, owner of SIH House.
November 2010

"Gloriana's design insight is super sleek and quite appealing. I enjoy a lot my time with her and our brainstorming sessions are very useful exercises. She helped me a lot in coming up with a design that fits my lifestyle, which she understood immediately. "
John Kettlewell, England.
October 2012

" We have worked with other architects on residential and commercial projects in Wisconsin and Alaska. Gloriana is a breath of fresh air. She is creative, a great communicator and most important, she understands the unique environment that defines Costa Rica...her skills shine in the final plans."
Kevin and Sharon Berg, Big Lake , Alaska.
May 2014

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